Chapter 80 The Tarnished Ring
Chapter 80 The Tarnished Ring
The entire house began to shake as Shayne began to rage. She heard Kevin and Brian on the stairs behind her as she opened Jamie’s door and prepared to face him.
He whirled around to look at her as Shayne stepped through the doorway with Brian and Kevin behind her. His eyes were large and filled with fear.
“I heard you,” Shayne's hissed. “You're the reason he's gone. You were going to kill him!” She accused through clinched teeth.
“What’s she talking about?” Brian said in alarm.
“I just overheard Jamie on the phone with Shawna. They cut Jeffery’s brake line. I heard him admit it. If Jeffrey wasn't away, he would have died.” She screamed.
Kevin grabbed Jamie’s arm. “Why? Why would you do something like that?”
“Tell me it's not true.” Brian said at the same time.
Jamie shrugged like it was no big deal. “I am so sick of your pompous asses. I have spent years licking your boots. You have no idea who I am or what I'm capable of. Shayne's money is the only way for me to get out of this town. And I can't stay here.”
“You would hurt Jeffrey for money?” Kevin said horrified.
Jamie shrugged again. “I tried to do this the easy way. But Jeffrey got in the way. He's selfish and he only cares about himself. I'm sick of him. It’s time I’m getting what I deserve.”
“Oh you're going to get what you deserve,” Shane said shaking. She reached out and grabbed onto his arm as purple light pulsed from her palm and into his skin.
As she grasped his arm, she felt the familiar pull of the beginning of a premonition. Her vision darkened in to a vignette she recognized. She felt Kevin grab her from behind as the world around her fell away.
Jamie was dressed just as he was now. He and Shawna were sitting in the front seat of his car, while the back seat was full of things. Most of them were items that most people wouldn’t miss from Shayne’s house. As they neared a ravine near the edge of town, the car seemed to accelerate. Jamie began to pump the brakes but nothing happened. The car went off the cliff and fell into nothingness.
Shayne’s head was spinning as she leaned against Kevin for support. She could hardly believe that she had just seen Jamie and Shawna’s end. She felt conflicted. Part of her wanted to warn them, but the part that realized they had cost her everything, was angry.
She opened her mouth to tell Jamie but she could not form words. Suddenly she understood exactly what her grandmother and Glennys had been saying about balance, rhymes and being cryptic. She tried several times to explain what she had seen before she realized there was nothing she could do.
“Do what you came to do, but understand there's a price.” Shayne finally said. She knew she sounded like a fortune cookie, but it was the best she could do.
Jamie shook her off his arm and walked to his closet. He pulled out his already packed bags and threw them over his shoulder. “I’m out of here.”
He stomped past Shayne, Brian and Kevin. They turned to watch him leave. “It's really like that, man?” Kevin said. “I knew you could be a jerk, but I thought you were better than this.”
Jamie rolled his eyes as he looked over his shoulder at Kevin. “You spent too much of your life being privileged with your head in the sand. You clearly don't know me.”
“You can't just try to kill Jeffrey and then walk away.” Brian spat.
Shayne reached out and put her hand on both Kevin and Brian. She held up her right hand for them. The braided ring around her finger was now completely tarnished and black. “Don't worry, he's going to get what's coming to him. And so will Shawna.”
No one said anything else as Jamie slammed the door behind himself. His car roared to life and Shayne heard him tear out of the driveway. The trio stood in the basement grappling with their feelings, until he was long gone.
“What did you see?” Kevin asked her.
“Jeffrey and Shawna are going to have a car accident. The brakes are going to go out. Just like what they tried to do to Jeffrey. It’s balance. He's been ripping all of us off, all summer.” Shayne explained sadly.
“So now what?” Brian asked.
“Now we get any evidence that man was ever in my house out of here. I say we take the furniture upstairs and we finish the nursery that Jeffrey started.” Shayne said. “I’m done focusing on the past. It's time we start preparing for the future.”
“We can do that, but Shayne, I don't think you should be lifting furniture in your condition. How about Brian and I take the bed apart. We will carry it up to the nursery and you can put it back together again. We will do all the heavy lifting for you.” Kevin volunteered.
“Okay, I’ll get the tools and meet you upstairs.” Shayne said as she started upstairs.
When she got to Jeffrey's bedroom, she opened the door and went inside. The smell of him was still strong. Instead of immediately going to the closet and getting his tool bag, she sat down on his bed and let herself cry. She cried for the man she lost, she cried for the man that she thought Jamie was, and she cried because her ex-best friend was about to die.
When she finally thought she had run out of tears she retrieved Jeffrey's tool bag from the closet. As she pick it up, her heart ached. She missed him so much, that sometimes even breathing hurt. But she refused to get into the pain. She meant what she said about focusing on the present, and letting go of the future she no longer had. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As she passed Jeffrey’s dresser, she removed the tarnished braided ring and laid it on top.
As she walked into the nursery, a brand-new sensation hit her. It looked exactly as it did in her vision. Brian and Kevin had set all of the parts of the crib up for her to assemble, just as they promised. She sat down in the middle of the pile, and spread-out Jeffrey's tools. She looked around the room with a brand-new appreciation for all the work that Jeffrey had put into building their home. Happy tears spilled down her cheeks as she sat in the room alone.